US9158028B2 - Facility for inspecting large-volume goods, in particular freight goods - Google Patents

Facility for inspecting large-volume goods, in particular freight goods Download PDF

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Publication number
US9158028B2
US9158028B2 US14/027,534 US201314027534A US9158028B2 US 9158028 B2 US9158028 B2 US 9158028B2 US 201314027534 A US201314027534 A US 201314027534A US 9158028 B2 US9158028 B2 US 9158028B2
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Prior art keywords
goods
detector
leg
ray source
movement
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US20140016746A1 (en
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Bernd Bartscher
Andreas Frank
Rainer Henkel
Claus Meder
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Smiths Heimann GmbH
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Smiths Heimann GmbH
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Assigned to SMITHS HEIMANN GMBH reassignment SMITHS HEIMANN GMBH ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: FRANK, ANDREAS, HENKEL, RAINER, MEDER, CLAUS, BARTSCHER, BERND
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01V—GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS
    • G01V5/00—Prospecting or detecting by the use of ionising radiation, e.g. of natural or induced radioactivity
    • G01V5/20—Detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects
    • G01V5/22—Active interrogation, i.e. by irradiating objects or goods using external radiation sources, e.g. using gamma rays or cosmic rays
    • G01V5/0016—

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a system for inspecting large-volume goods, in particular freight goods, with an x-ray source, which emits x-rays for irradiating the goods, and with a detector arrangement aligned with the x-ray source.
  • x-ray systems which have an x-ray source and a detector arrangement aligned with the x-ray source, are employed to inspect large-volume freight goods such as truck or container loads. While the goods to be inspected are moved between the x-ray source and the detector arrangement relative to these, they are irradiated by x-rays and scanned in addition.
  • the inspection system and the inspection goods either the inspection goods themselves, for example, a truck, move between the x-ray source and the detector arrangement, or the inspection system has its own drive by which it is moved relative to the inspection goods.
  • the detectors in the detector arrangement are arranged in corresponding detector rows.
  • the detector arrangement contains two detector rows at right angles to one another, one of which extends vertically upwards and the other horizontally above the inspection track.
  • Cargo scanning systems use mainly cesium iodide (CsI) scintillators for detecting transmitted x-rays.
  • Ceramic scintillators are employed in part in baggage inspection systems. This has not been the case so far in freight scanning systems, because due to the large inspection surface and the huge number of required crystals the cost of the detectors would represent too great a share of the manufacturing costs.
  • High energy x-rays of, for example, 3.5 to 4 MeV are used to penetrate trucks and containers.
  • the x-rays are generated by pulsed electron accelerators. Detectors with a specific depth are needed because of the high energies. The depth is measured here in the direction of the x-ray source and thereby perpendicular to the direction of movement of the inspection goods.
  • the detectors of the detector arrangement are designed or arranged so that detector rows form with two row legs abutting at right angles on their long sides, of which one leg is oriented parallel to direction of movement of the inspection goods and the other is oriented perpendicular thereto in the direction of the x-ray source.
  • the leg oriented parallel to the direction of movement is arranged in front in the direction of the x-rays, therefore closer to the x-ray source.
  • the detectors contain as the scintillation material gadolinium oxysulfide (GOS), which is preferably doped with cerium (Gd 2 O 2 S:Ce).
  • GOS gadolinium oxysulfide
  • Ce cerium
  • CdWO 4 cadmium tungstate
  • GOS as a scintillation material has a number of advantages compared with CsI. Because it has a higher density and a higher Z eff , it is especially suitable for detecting photons above 100 keV. Furthermore, it is not hygroscopic. Nevertheless, the material is not transparent to the emitted scintillation photons. This limits the use in the direction of higher energies, because the scintillation photons of the entire crystals can no longer be collected.
  • Cadmium tungstate as an alternative scintillation material also has advantages in regard to absorption and afterglow.
  • cadmium tungstate crystals are transparent to scintillation photons. For this reason, there is less restriction in crystal size. Nevertheless, the light yield of cadmium tungstate per photon is much lower than the yield of GOS, which is also superior in regard to environmental and health protection.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a facility for inspecting large-volume goods according to an embodiment of the invention
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a structure of an inspection system according to an embodiment
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate detector rows according to an embodiment.
  • An x-ray source is arranged in a housing 1 .
  • the x-rays are generated by an electron accelerator with an energy between 3.5 and 4 MeV and leave through an aperture 2 in housing 1 .
  • a vertical detector row 3 which is made up of individual detectors 4 , 5 , is located at a distance from housing 1 .
  • Another horizontal detector row 6 which is supported by another vertical detector row 7 on housing 1 , runs at the upper end of vertical detector row 3 .
  • each detector row 3 , 6 , 7 has two row legs, abutting at right angles on their long sides and each formed by detectors 4 , 5 arranged next to one another or above one another.
  • One of the legs is oriented parallel to the direction of movement 9 of the inspection goods (in the example the leg formed by detectors 5 ).
  • the other leg, formed in the example by detectors 4 is oriented perpendicular thereto in the direction of x-ray source 2 .
  • the length I, measured in the direction of movement 9 , of detectors 5 oriented in the direction of movement 9 , is about 10 mm; its measured depth t perpendicular thereto is about 5 mm.
  • the correspondingly measured length I of detectors 4 , arranged perpendicular thereto, is about 5 mm. Their depth t is about 20 mm to 30 mm.
  • leg 5 oriented parallel to the direction of movement 9 of the inspection goods, is arranged in front in the direction of the x-rays, therefore closer to x-ray source 1 , as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . Then, photons with a higher energy scattered in the forward direction by the Compton effect are also detected in the other detectors 4 .
  • leg 5 oriented parallel to the direction of movement 9 of the inspection goods, is arranged in back in the direction of the x-rays, therefore farther away from x-ray source 1 , has advantages in regard to the resolution of finer structures, because less crosstalk between the channels can occur.
  • the detector rows with angled legs can be produced, for example, such that an additional thin GOS scintillator bar, which increases the detector width in the direction of movement 9 , is glued onto a detector, for example, of GOS, arranged in a standard manner.
  • Table 2 shows parameters, which were obtained using a standard test for the different detector rows.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Geophysics (AREA)
  • Analysing Materials By The Use Of Radiation (AREA)
US14/027,534 2011-03-14 2013-09-16 Facility for inspecting large-volume goods, in particular freight goods Active 2032-05-08 US9158028B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102011013942.7 2011-03-14
DE102011013942 2011-03-14
DE102011013942A DE102011013942A1 (de) 2011-03-14 2011-03-14 Anlage zur Überprüfung von großvolumigen Gütern, insbesondere von Frachtgütern
PCT/EP2012/053331 WO2012123248A2 (de) 2011-03-14 2012-02-28 ANLAGE ZUR ÜBERPRÜFUNG VON GROßVOLUMIGEN GÜTERN, INSBESONDERE VON FRACHTGÜTERN

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2012/053331 Continuation WO2012123248A2 (de) 2011-03-14 2012-02-28 ANLAGE ZUR ÜBERPRÜFUNG VON GROßVOLUMIGEN GÜTERN, INSBESONDERE VON FRACHTGÜTERN

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20140016746A1 US20140016746A1 (en) 2014-01-16
US9158028B2 true US9158028B2 (en) 2015-10-13

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US14/027,534 Active 2032-05-08 US9158028B2 (en) 2011-03-14 2013-09-16 Facility for inspecting large-volume goods, in particular freight goods

Country Status (4)

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US (1) US9158028B2 (de)
EP (1) EP2686711A2 (de)
DE (1) DE102011013942A1 (de)
WO (1) WO2012123248A2 (de)

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0247491A1 (de) 1986-05-28 1987-12-02 Heimann GmbH Röntgenscanner
WO1999008132A1 (en) 1997-08-06 1999-02-18 Eg & G Astrophysics Side-by-side detector array for dual energy x-ray imaging system
DE10122279A1 (de) 2001-05-08 2002-12-12 Heimann Systems Gmbh & Co Röntgenanlage
US20050089140A1 (en) 2001-10-19 2005-04-28 Mario Arthur W. Tomographic scanning X-ray inspection system using transmitted and compton scattered radiation
US20080025464A1 (en) * 2006-02-09 2008-01-31 L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Inc. Radiation scanning systems and methods
US20080298546A1 (en) 2007-05-31 2008-12-04 General Electric Company Cargo container inspection method
WO2009106803A2 (en) 2008-02-28 2009-09-03 Rapiscan Security Products, Inc. Scanning systems
US20110038453A1 (en) 2002-07-23 2011-02-17 Edward James Morton Compact Mobile Cargo Scanning System

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0247491A1 (de) 1986-05-28 1987-12-02 Heimann GmbH Röntgenscanner
US4884289A (en) 1986-05-28 1989-11-28 Heimann Gmbh X-ray scanner for detecting plastic articles
WO1999008132A1 (en) 1997-08-06 1999-02-18 Eg & G Astrophysics Side-by-side detector array for dual energy x-ray imaging system
DE10122279A1 (de) 2001-05-08 2002-12-12 Heimann Systems Gmbh & Co Röntgenanlage
US7308076B2 (en) 2001-05-08 2007-12-11 Smiths Heimann Gmbh X-ray system comprising an X-ray source, a detector assembly, and a shutter
US20050089140A1 (en) 2001-10-19 2005-04-28 Mario Arthur W. Tomographic scanning X-ray inspection system using transmitted and compton scattered radiation
US20110038453A1 (en) 2002-07-23 2011-02-17 Edward James Morton Compact Mobile Cargo Scanning System
US20080025464A1 (en) * 2006-02-09 2008-01-31 L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Inc. Radiation scanning systems and methods
US20080298546A1 (en) 2007-05-31 2008-12-04 General Electric Company Cargo container inspection method
WO2009106803A2 (en) 2008-02-28 2009-09-03 Rapiscan Security Products, Inc. Scanning systems

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE102011013942A1 (de) 2012-09-20
WO2012123248A2 (de) 2012-09-20
US20140016746A1 (en) 2014-01-16
EP2686711A2 (de) 2014-01-22
WO2012123248A3 (de) 2012-12-06

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